I. Paul’s First Words To Them Vs. 13, 14
A. Paul Gave Thanks For Them
1. Paul understood the huge transformation of the Thessalonians since they believed on Jesus, and he felt compelled and bound to give thanks for it.
2. Paul was a man who often gave thanks for God’s work in and through other Christians
a. Romans 16:4 Priscilla & Aquila risked their lives for Paul
b. Ephesians 1:15, 16 Paul gave thanks for the faith of the Ephesians
c. Colossians 1:3, 4 Paul gave thanks for the faith of the Colossians
d. 1 Thess. 1:2-10 Paul gave detailed thanks for the faith of the Thessalonians
e. Application- May we be Christians who give thanks for the faith of others. May we consider all that God has done in them and give thanks.
B. What Paul Gave Thanks About
1. Beloved By The Lord- to be fond of, to love dearly, to be well pleased, to be contented at with a person or thing.
a. Colossians 1:21-23 We were enemies of God, but now beloved.
2. Chosen For Salvation From The Beginning
a. God chooses those destined for salvation. Ephesians 1:4, 5; Romans 8:29, 30
b. No one can be saved unless drawn by Jesus. John 6:44, 65
c. Conversely- many verses are open invitations to “whoever” to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. John 3:15, 16; 11:25, 26; 12:46; Matthew 11:28-30
d. 1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
e. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
3. Sanctification By The Spirit-
a. Sanctify- to be set apart, in this case, to be set apart for/to God. (holiness)
b. The Christian is set apart by the Spirit in both the pre-conversion work of the Spirit, and in the ongoing inner witness of the Holy Spirit.
c. The Holy Spirit bears witness to the word of God and the holiness of Jesus
d. The Holy Spirit convicts the Christian of sin, and empowers them unto holiness
e. The Holy Spirit leads the Christian to be convinced of the truth of God’s word
f. The result is (ought to be) a Christian who increasingly walk in holiness
g. Spurgeon- “Had it been possible for you to have had salvation without sanctification, it would have been a curse to you instead of a blessing. If such a thing were possible, I cannot conceive of a more lamentable condition than for a man to, have the happiness of salvation without the holiness of it; happily, it is not possible. If you could be saved from the consequences of sin, but not from the sin itself, and its power and pollution, it would be no blessing to you.”
4. Belief In the Truth- First we see God’s desire for men to be saved, and we see His choosing of men to be saved, now we see man’s responsibility to believe the truth of the Gospel & be saved. God’s choosing & man’s believing. Both are needed
5. Called By The Gospel- Literally: Good News
6. For The Obtaining Of The Glory- Heaven
C. How To Encourage Struggling Christians
1. When Christians struggle w/their faith due to trials, follow this pattern
2. Remind them of what God has done for them and plans to do for them.
3. Before exhorting them, remind them of their blessed past and their blessed future.
4. Tell those struggling that you’re thankful for their salvation, don’t just preach
II. Stand Fast & Hold V. 15
A. Stand Fast- stand firm, persevere, persist.
B. Hold- take possession of, be the master of, seize, not discard or let go.
C. The Traditions
1. Not the traditions of the inventions of man, but the teachings of God
2. The New Testament did not yet exist, and the verbal and written teaching of the apostles was what Paul was talking about. They were establishing doctrine.
3. Jesus condemned the traditions of man, b/c they originate with man
4. These traditions were received from Jesus and passed on through the apostles.
D. Why Was This Important?
1. The church at Thessalonica was a church under persecution.
a. 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 2:2, 2:14-16, 3:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-7.
2. When we suffer under persecution or intense trials, we can begin to be moved away from the truths of God.
a. We may doubt the promises and presence of God
b. We may second guess what we have believed
c. We may have misunderstood the Word of God and can’t interpret our situation through the grid of God’s Word.
3. During trials, we may change our view of God and His Word.
4. We unintentionally interpret God’s Word through the lens of the trial.
5. Instead, we need to interpret our trial through the lens of God’s Word.
III. Blessing Vs. 16, 17
A. What God Has Done V. 16
1. He has loved us. The Father and the Son have loved us.
2. They have given us everlasting consolation-comfort, solace, refreshment.
3. They have given us good hope. Pleasant, joyful, happy confident expectation of good.
4. All of that comes to us via God’s grace. Undeserved merit, divine friendship
5. NOTE- Regarding the Son and the Father, and the divinity of both…
a. Believer’s Bible Commentary- In the Greek, the plural subject (Christ and God) is followed by four singular verb forms (loved, gave, comfort, establish).
B. What Paul Wished For Them V. 17
1. Comfort your hearts in good words and good works.
a. Parakaleo- to come alongside, to console, strengthen, encourage, exhort
2. Establish you in good words and good works.
a. Sterizo- to make stable, place firmly, set fast, to fix, render constant